After I replaced the plugged fuel fitting on the tank, it seems to be running OK, however when you shut if off from full RPM, sometimes it will have one loud backfire thru the exhaust. Not sure what that's all about, but it doesn't do it when shut off from idle.. Raked leaves last weekend with the sweeper, and it ran good. Now we have snow on the ground YEAH. Need to get plow tractor out, so this one may be parked until next spring

Gas cap didn't help, rebuilt carb and fuel pump, that didn't help. Finally found the screen on the gas tank shutoff valve was plugged. replaced this with a valve without the screen, and then added an inline filter just past the valve. Finally had some decent weekend weather yesterday, and ran the tractor, it ran fine.

Now that makes sense, sometime this year I put a different gas cap on it because the old one wasn't screwing down all the way. Go figure. Will change cap and mow this weekend and see what happens
Thanks

I finally got the coil changed, and this made no difference. I'm thinking fuel problem, because now I noted when it dies out, if you wait a few minutes, it will restart and sputter and I made it back to the garage like this, dying out every 50 feet or so

I have a 16hp briggs from a workhorse 1600 in my 414-8. mowed good all last year. This year it runs fine for about an hour,then sputters or misses, and yesterday mowing it actually died and would not restart right away. after sitting for a few hours, it started, still missing, but enough to drive back to the garage. So far I have changed the spark plugs with no difference. Any suggestions or similar problems that may be helpful to fix this?
Thanks in advance for any help.

after wrecking the trans on the sand rail, i decided to pull the rough running engine apart, found one cylinder had nothing in it. I don't remember if there was any rod there, but no sign whatsoever of a piston. pretty much decided the fun was over then, and got rid of it all